namby-pamby

Contents

English

WOTD – 11 March 2006

Etymology

From the nickname of the poet Ambrose Phillips, coined by Henry Carey in 1726.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

namby-pamby (comparative more namby-pamby or namby-pambier, superlative most namby-pamby or namby-pambiest)

1. Insipid and sentimental.
2. Lacking vigor or decisiveness; spineless; wishy-washy.

Translations

insipid and sentimental

• French: gnangnan (fr)
• Italian: sdolcinato (it) m, insipido (it) m, insulso (it) m

• Spanish: ñoño (es)

lacking vigor or decisiveness

• Italian: smidollato (it) m, mollaccione m, codardo (it) m

• Spanish: soso (es) m

Noun

namby-pamby (plural namby-pambies)

1. One who is insipid, sentimental, or weak.
   • 1725, Capt. Gordon [Henry Carey], Namby-Pamby: Or a Pangyric on the New Versification Addressed to A-- P-- Esq., OCLC 49006177:

     Namby Pamby’s doubly Mild, / Once a Man, and twice a Child; / To his Hanging-Sleeves restor’d / Now he foots it like a Lord; / Now he Pumps his little Wits; / Sh--ing Writes and Writing Sh--s,^[sic]

2. Talk or writing which is weakly sentimental or affectedly pretty.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Macaulay to this entry?)

Translations

one who is insipid, sentimental, or weak

• French: gnangnan (fr) m
• Italian: sdolcinato (it) m, mollaccione m, codardo (it) m, femminuccia (it), mammoletta, pollo (it), merlo (it), smidollato (it), pappa molle, pappamolle, rammollito (it), fifone (it), mollusco (it), vigliacco (it), pusillanime (it), eunuco (it), debole (it) m, pisciasotto (it), cacasotto (it), pauroso (it), vile (it), checca (it), ricchione (it)

• Spanish: ñoño (es) m

Verb

namby-pamby (third-person singular simple present namby-pambies, present participle namby-pambying, simple past and past participle namby-pambied)

1. To coddle.
   • 2012, Alan Tyers, Who Moved My Stilton?: The Victorian Guide to Getting Ahead in Business

     While we business men of Britain have little time for this sort of namby-pambying towards the next generation, who are often feckless, tearful, small, dirty or all of the above, there is no doubt that youths have their place in commerce.

References